Manifolding attachment for typewriters



Aug. 25, 1925. 1,550,688

A. S. GILMAN MANIFOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR TYPEWRITERS Filed April 2e, 1925 4 shams-sheet 1 Pf6-f y 'W fig@ Aug. 25,- 1925. 1,550,688

A. S. GILMAN l MANIFOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR TYPEwRITERs Fil-ed April 26, 1923 4 sheets-51mmv s Aug. 25, 1925.

A. S. GILMAN MANIFOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR TYPEWRITERS Filed April 26, 1925 4 Sheeisf-Sheet 4 Patented Aug. 25, 1925. il

UNITED STATES ARTHUR S. GILMAN, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

MANIFOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR TYPEWRITERS. f f Y' Application filed April 26, 1923. Serial No. 634,696.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ARTHUR S. GILMAN, a citizen of the United States, resident of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, have invented new and 'useful Improvements in Manifolding Attachments for Typewriters, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being herein explained, and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying' that principle so as to distinguish it fro-1n other inventions.

My invention relates to methods of and means for manipulating continuous manifold forms and interleaved carbon sheets in a typewriting machine and particularly to that class of such devices which may be attached to an ordinary typewriting machine without altering the construction of the latter, thereby converting same into a machine adapted for continuous billing.

The object of the invention is to provide a method of such manipulation which is simple in its character, and means for practicing such method which will be elicient in the performance of its function and simple in construction.

The said invention consists of a method and apparatus hereinafter fully described and particularly set forth in the claims.

At the present time there are different types of continuous billing machines in commercial use.

In the one type, of which what is known as the Underwood is an example, the oanbon sheets are -slidably mounted upon a carriage which is attached to the platen-carriage of the machine, and the platen is provided with a special mounting whereby it may be disengaged from the pressure rollers so as to permit the carbon sheets to be retracted and the typed manifold forms then torn ofi' independently of said carbon sheets, all as is well-known and described in the Wernery- Smith Patent No. 1,132,055 issued March 16, 1915.

A specially built typewriting machine must hence be provided for manipulating the sheets by this Underwood method of operation. I

In another type, of which what is known as the Elliot Fisher machine is an example, a iat stationary platen is used, the carbon sheets are longitudinally stationary and the typewriter travels over the platen. This method of operation requires a machine radically difl'erent from the ordinary typewriter and is hence of course specially built.

In the use of my method, however, any of many well-known types of ordinary typewriting machines may be used without making any changes in construction, to which my device may be readily attached so as to adapt same for use in continuous billing or manifolding.

The annexed drawings and the following description set forth in detail certain means for practicing my invention, the disclosed means, however, constituting but one of various mechanical forms in which the principles of my invention may be applied.

In said annexed drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of the upper portion of a Royal typewriter showing my improved device attached thereto and also in front elevation.

Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 represents a vertical transverse section taken up-on the planes indicated b-y line III-III in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 represents an enlarged detail section taken upon the plane indicated by line IIT-IV, Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 represents a detail horizontal section taken upon the plane indicated by line V-V, Fig. 3. Y

Fig. 6 represents a detail enlarged section taken upon the plane indicated by line VI-VL Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 represents a detail enlarged section taken upon the plane indicated by line VII-VII, Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 represents a detail section taken upon the plane indicated by line VIII- VIII, Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 represents an enlarged detail section taken upon the plane indicated by line IX-IX, Fig. 2.

Figs. 10, 11 and 12 each represent vertical transverse detail sections, showing various positions of the forms and carbon sheets.

Fig. 13 represents an enlarged detail section taken upon the plane indicated by line XIII-XIII, Fig. 1.

Figs. 14, 15 and 16 are enlarged fragmentary vertical transverse sections showin more in detail the relation of the forms and carbon sheets when they occupy the positions illllStl-ted by Figs. 2, 11 and 12.

The illustrated embodiment of that part of my invention which relates to the mechanism` comprises a frame consisting of vertical triangular side members 1741, ai toptransverse and horizontal member 2 suitable cross-braces 3-3, and bottom transverse horizontal members 4 4, Figs. 1 and 3.

The lower portion of this frame is so designed as to properly fit and be rigidly fas tened, in any suitable manner, tothe platencarriage of the particular typewriter to which it is to be attached (in this case the carriage 5 ot' a Royal typewriter)`A all as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

The upper transverse frame member 2 is formed with a horizontal Hat surface 6 and front and back downwardly curved edgeportions 7 and S respectively, so that this member may form a guide over which the continuous web 9 of manifold 'forms may be led. These forms may be of the type known `as fan-oldf forms, that is, forms which ailvciietd at their lateral edges, as shown at 9', Fig. 5; or they may be of the form known as superfold shown, described and claimed in the Ingersoll Patent No. 1,368,729 issued February 15, 1921, in which the lateral edges are disconnected or severed; or they may consist of superposed and separate webs taken oil of rolls, which are sometimes used for the form-supply.

Two laterally adjustable guiding members 10-10 are mounted upon the frame-member 2, Fig. 1, and may be secured in place by suitable set-screws 11. Each such member 10 is provided with an upright member 12 for laterally defining the path of movement of the forms, and with two pairs of front guiding members 13 which extend over the front and back faces of the forms, as shown in Fig. 1, for guiding the latter downwardly, as will be understood.

To these guiding members 1() are also secured removable inclined cutting knives 14 which extend inwardly and are adapted to sever fan-fold7 `forms when the latter are used.

The illustrated device is designed to be used with a seven-part form, that is a form consisting of seven superposed webs. Six cutting knives 14 are hence shown, three on one side and three on the other.

It will be understood that when forms of the type of the superfold are used, these knives will of course not function.

In all cases, however, after the forms leave the guides 10, they consist of a plurality of superposed webs whose lateral edges are unconnected.

Mounted on the side members 1 of the frame are the cylindrical cores 15 (six in this particular case) whose ends are provided with the journals 16. The right-hand side-member 1 is provided with plain round holes 17 which form bearings for the righthand journals 16, and the left-hand member 1 is provided with bayonet slots 18 which form bearings for the left-hand journals 16, as shown in Fig. 8.

The pairs of bearings are staggered as shown and the bayonet slots alternately intersect the front and back edges of the member 1, also as shown in Fig. 8.

Upon the outer end of each left-hand journal 16, is fixed a pinion 19, so that two sets of three pinions are provided, a front set and a rear set. The front set is engaged by a rack 20, Fig. 6, fixed to one side of a bar 21, and the rear set is engaged by a rack 22 iixed to the other side of said bar. These racks and the attached bar are mounted in guides 23 and 24 iixed to the member 1, as shown in Figs. 2 and 7, whereby they may be reciprocated in a direction parallel with the direction of travel of the forms. The racks engage similar sides of the pinions, so that such reciprocation will eiect the simultaneous rotation of the pinions, and hence the cores, in the same direction.

The upper end of the rack structure is provided with a suitable stop-pin 25, Fig. 1, adapted to engage the upper end of guide 23 and thus limit the downward movement of the racks.

The lower end of the said rack structure is provided with a handle 26 and an inwardly projecting stop-pin 27, Figs. 1 and 9, adapted to engage the lower end of a stop member 28 slidably mounted upon the letthand frame member, 1 ixable thereon by means of a set-screw 29, and whereby the upward movement of the racks may be variably limited.

It will be seen from the above-described construction that the cores may be disengaged and removed from the frame by disengaging the left-hand journals from the bayonet slots and then pulling the cores laterally so as to disengage the right-hand journals from their bearings.

When the device is in use, each core has wound thereon a sheet or web 32 of carbon paper with the carbon face on the inside and wound so as to come off the core with such face on the back of the unwound portion, as will be understood.

The right-hand side member 1 has adjustably mounted thereon an indicating pointer 30 secured by means oit a set-screw 31, Figs. 1 and 13, which extends over the front face of the forms.

As previously stated the platen-carriage 5 illustrated is in this instance the standard carriage of a Royal typewriter provided with the usual platen-roller 33 and pressure rollers 34 and 36, Fig. 3.

The lower part of the frame is provided with a cutting-off knife 35, which may conveuiently act as one of the cross-members of the frame, and is located somewhat above and in front of the platen-roller 33, Figs. 1 and 3.

The above-described device is used and operated as follows:

'Ihe continuous web 9 of multiple forms is led from the source of supply (not shown) over the top of the frame and then downwardly as shown in Fig. 3, and the separate and superposed forms threaded between the rolls of carbon sheets, so that one roll will lie between each two adjacent strips of forms, whereby the carbon sheets will be interleaved with said forms as required for duplicating the matter written upon the uppermost form by the typewriter, as will be understood.

The carbon sheets and the forms are then manually led between the platen-roller and pressure-rolls, whereupon they may both be fed around the platen-roller by r-otating the latter in the usual manner. However, the carbon sheets are initially so adjusted with relation to the forms, that the ends of the latter will extend a short distance beyond the ends of said carbon sheets, as shown in Fig. 14.

The platen-roller is then rotated so as to bring the ends of the forms just up to the plane of the cutting edge of the knife 35, as shown in Fig. 3. The forms and carbon sheets are then backed by reversing the direction of rotation of the platen-roller and pushing up the rack-handle 120,?F and to a point where the carbon sheets\are released from between the platen-roller and the pressure-rolls, but the forms still held therebetween, as shown in Fig. 15. The weight of the rearwardly depending portion of the web of forms will pull same back during this operation and thereby take up the slack incident thereto. The stop member 28 which has been previously loosened and hence allowed to ride upon the stop pin 27, is then secured in the place which it then occupies, by means of the set-screw 29.

The pointer 30 is then adjusted so that its end will coincide with a definite point on the front form as for instance one of the printed transverse lines 37, which usually shows through the uppermost form.

The forms and interleaved carbon sheets are then pinched with the left hand and the platen-roller rotated by the right hand until the forms reach the proper position for receiving the typewritten matter. The typing operation is then completed whereupon the forms and carbon sheets are again backed up by reversely rotating the platen-roller and pushing up on the handle 26, until the stop pin 27 strikes the stop member 28, at which time the carbon sheets will again be released, but the ends of the forms still held.

The platen-roller is then rotated so as to repass the forms around same While the carbon sheets are stationary. Such rotation is continued until the next line 37 coincides with the pointer 30, whereupon the forms and carbon sheets are again pinched and the rotation of the platen-roller continued until the forms reach the position with relation to the knife, where it is desired to sever those previously typed, as shown in Fig. 15.

Such severing is then effected, and the next forms will be in position for typing and the carbon sheets in proper position for manifolding, with their ends removed as before from the ends of the Jforms.

The above-described operation is then repeated as desired.

When the carbon sheets become worn, a portion thereof may be torn off so as to bring a fresh surface into operation and such sheets readjusted in accordance with the previousT1 described initial adjustment.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In means for manipulating manifold forms and an interleaved carbon sheet, the combination of vertically disposed means for guiding a plurality of manifold forms; connecting means for mounting said first means upon a typewriter platen-carriage for maintaining the first means vertically over the platen, whereby said forms may be fed to the platen-roller; means for movably supporting a carbon sheet between said forms; and a vertically movable connecting-member mounted upon said means whereby the position of said forms with reference to the typing characters and the amount of travel of said forms may be definitely determined.

2. In means for manipulating manifold forms and an interleaved carbon sheet, the combination of means for guiding a plurality of manifold forms and mounted upon a typewriter platen-carriage, whereby said forms may be fed to the platen-rollers; means for movably supporting a carbon sheet between said forms; and an indicating-member mounted upon the front of said means and visible from the front of the typewriter whereby the position of said forms with reference to the typing characters and the amount of travel of said forms may be definitely determined.

3. In means for manipulating manifold forms and an interleaved carbon sheet, the combination of means for guiding a plurality of manifold forms and mounted upon a typewriter platen-carriage, whereby said forms may be fed to the platen-roller; means for movably supporting a carbon sheet between said forms; and a vertically adjustable indicating-member mounted upon the front of said frame and visible from the front of the typewriter whereby the position of said forms with reference to the typing characters and the amount of travel of said forms may be definitely determined.

il. In means for manipulating manifold forms and an interleaved carbon sheet, the mbination of a frame mounted vertically Y/fpon the platen-carriage of a typewriting 5 machine and adapted to feed a plurality of manifold forms downwardly to the platenroller; a plurality of rotatable cores mounted upon said frame each having a carbon sheet Wound thereon and interleaved with said forms; and vertically reciprocable means for simultaneously rotating said cores with and against the Weight of said forms.

5. In means for manipulating manifold forms and an interleaved carbon sheet, the combination of a frame adapted to feed a plurality of manifold forms to the platenroller of a typeivriting machine; means for securing said frame in a vertical position upon the platen carriage of the typewriting machine; a plurality of rotatable cores mounted upon said frame each having a carbon sheet Wound thereon and interleaved With said forms; and means for simultaneously rotating said cores in the same direction.

6. In means for manipulating manifold forms and an interleaved carbon sheet, the combination of a vertical frame; means for securing the frame on the platen-carriage of a. typewriter machine7 a plurality of rotatable cores mounted on said frame each having a carbon sheet Wound thereon and interleaved with said forms; and vertically movable operating means mounted on the frame Within easy access of the operator and connected to all of said cores for simultaneously rotating the same in the same direction.

Signed by me this 16th day of April, 1923.

ARTHUR S. GLMAN. 

